Finding Comforting Care at the CCC

As her family tells it, Mary Diane Kozumplik never met a stranger, had a radiant smile and a contagious sense of humor that brightened the lives of those around her. 

Diane, as she was known, passed away Dec. 24, 2024. She was cared for at the end of her life at the Comprehensive Care Center, where she moved in August 2023. 

In the final years of her life, Diane suffered from vascular dementia, said her daughter, Heather Leonard. Diane and Heather lived together for a time, and Diane attended adult day care at Valley Haven. 

But the dementia changed her behavior, and she became angry and at times, violent. She stopped being able to take care of her own hygiene and ended up in the Emergency Department with an infection. Heather recalls that her mother was “going downhill,” which was compounded by a broken hip and a case of Covid. 

Ultimately, the family opted to find her a room at the Comprehensive Care Center. In the time her mother lived at the CCC, Heather visited every day. Her sister Bonnie, who lives in Northern California, also came monthly to visit and help. 

“I know a lot of people over there at the CCC who I love,” she says. “They were just amazing.” 

Her mother sometimes had behavioral outbursts and Heather was always pleased with the way the CCC workers reacted to the situation. 

“My mom could have bits of being upset,” she recalls. “I could hear my mom getting mad. I’d listen to the way staff were talking to her; they calmed her down. They’d take the time to speak to her.” 

When her mother first began living at the CCC, Heather admitted to being worried about who would care for her, but that was soon alleviated. 

“It definitely comforted me to the point I wasn’t worried,” Heather said after viewing staff with her mother. “I’d go there every day. She was safe. I didn’t ever see her sad. She loved everybody and was happy. I knew she was safe and happy. She made friends. That warms my heart. She was happy to be there.” 

After months of seeing how her mother fared at the CCC, Heather said she automatically recommends the skilled nursing facility when people ask her. 

“I definitely tell people to go to the CCC,” she says. 

As her mother’s health began to fail and it looked like her death was coming, Heather and her sister Bonnie stayed at the CCC for the final four days of their mother’s life. 

“The staff there is absolutely amazing,” she says. “They brought us a tray with food and treats. It was so nice. People came in saying their goodbyes to her. It was so wonderful.” 

When Diane passed away, an employee came in to prepare her for the mortuary, Heather recalled. Heather asked to help. 

“We talked back and forth,” she says. “They said, ‘Take as long as you want to say goodbye.’”  

Heather said she’s been a bit adrift since her mother passed and is considering volunteering to help on Bingo days at the CCC. 

“I felt like family over there,” she said. “I love being over there. It gives me some purpose. Everybody is so nice.”